Cards QB spotlight shifts to Warner

by Bob McManaman - Aug. 15, 2008 06:31 PMThe Arizona Republic

Of all the competitions being waged in Cardinals training camp, the one that figured to attract the most attention has been relegated to an under-the-table affair, a calm cold war that has yet to fully surface.

But it may finally start Saturday at 5 p.m.

That's when the Cardinals meet the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in their second preseason game, and when Kurt Warner is expected to start at quarterback and make his preseason debut.

As head coach Ken Whisenhunt has said all along, Matt Leinart would be the designated starter heading into camp, but Warner will be there to push him and, "It's going to be a tough job for Matt to keep."

Up until now, most all the talk has been about Leinart and his renewed commitment to narrowing the competitive gap. He's made huge strides since his season-ending collarbone injury a year ago and his improvement has been noticeable, from his play in camp to last week's performance against the New Orleans Saints.

But now it's Warner's turn and the spotlight has shifted. If the promise is true that the best players will get to play, then this is Warner's time to shine once again, as he did upon replacing Leinart and passing for 3,417 yards and 27 touchdowns.

Yes, it's only a preseason game and Warner's time in the pocket may last only about as long as it would take him to shower and shave in the morning. But he's been anxious for this - and more.

"I'm always antsy this time of year," Warner said this week. "But I just want to get to the season. I just want to play. The preseason is a little more anticlimactic. You go out there and you go through the whole shebang for 10 or 12 plays, so that part's hard.

"I just feel so good and so comfortable with what we're doing - and I feel very good physically - but I'm ready to get to the season and let's go play."

Whisenhunt didn't use Warner last week against the Saints, in part because he didn't want the valuable veteran to get injured playing behind reserve offensive linemen. Saturday, however, Warner will play with the No. 1 offense to get in his work and gain some rhythm as the preseason and the internal competition grows in importance.

Not that Warner needs to be overly impressive Saturday or in either of the remaining preseason games to present his case. He barely played a lick in the preseason last year and in just 11 starts, still finished just one touchdown pass shy of the single-season club record.

"I definitely want to get enough time to feel good with everything," Warner said of today's game, in which Leinart also will play, "but I also know it's probably not going to be an overabundant amount of time. . . . I can go in there and in one series say, 'OK, it feels good.' But there are time where it's like, 'Uh, I might feel comfortable, but I didn't see things as well as I wanted to and I want another series or, I want another game.' "

Warner has been sharp throughout training camp. Leinart has had plenty of good moments, too. And behind them, there remains a battle for the No. 3 job between Brian St. Pierre and rookie free agent Anthony Morelli. All have impressed Whisenhunt.

"That's been one of our strongest competitions in camp, as far as guys stepping up and getting better," the coach said. "I can sit up here and say all the time that I think competition makes us a better team, but in that area, I've really seen it. I've seen dramatic improvement in all of those guys in terns of what we're trying to get done."

However the starting quarterback situation is determined, Warner truly wants only one thing: to play a role in helping the Cardinals return to the playoffs for the first time since 1998.

Who gives the Cardinals the better chance? That's up to Whisenhunt to decide, but it could mean a new contract for Warner if he duplicates at least part of last season's success. Negotiations on an extension, Warner said, are in a holding pattern until things become clearer with the position.

"I don't play this game for the numbers. I want to win another championship," Warner said. "Once you've been there, there's nothing else to play for. . . . Once you get in the dance, you never know. That's what we saw last year with the New York Giants.